CHAPTER 32
Thursday morning, unknown location:
The first thing Danny Williams became aware of upon emerging from his drug-induced nap was an annoying vibration. Whoever was calling him at ungodly hours of the morning had better have a good excuse. Danny rolled over and opted to ignore the caller.
It took him a moment too long to realise that the vibration was not coming from his phone but rather the surface he was lying on.
He frowned. 'That made no sense.'
A severe judder cleared any fogginess still remaining. He opened his eyes and was met with darkness. He blinked hard in an attempt to clear his vision but nothing changed.
Confused, he decided if he couldn't see where he was, he would try to identify his location by feel. He quickly realised that was futile when his hands refused to move. He felt what must have been rope tied around his wrists. An attempt to move his legs revealed that they were similarly restrained.
He levered his body upright and bit back a cry of pain when his head hit something hard and unforgiving. Listening, he could hear the thrum of an engine and quickly deduced that he was in the trunk of a car. That would explain why it was so dark and cramped.
Cramped.
Small.
His breath started coming in short gasps and he tried to think about something other than his claustrophobia-induced panic. He twisted his wrists and was rewarded with pain as the rough rope dug into his skin. The pain forced him to focus and bring his breathing back to normal.
He was almost breathing like a normal human when he felt the vehicle roll to a stop. He tensed as he heard a door open and slam shut. The door to the small rear compartment he was currently squished inside of opened and the blazing light of the morning sun forced made his eyes water.
He felt rough hands on his body as he was dragged none-too-gently out of the car. He squinted in the blinding light and tried to make out his surroundings. Unable to move his arms or legs, he let his body go limp as he was hauled inside a house. The responding grunt made the humiliation of being dragged like a misbehaving toddler almost worthwhile.
His eyes finally adjusted to the light as he was shoved into a chair. His hands were secured to the back of the chair with another piece of rope before the rope was untied from his legs, only for each leg to be bound to a chair leg.
He struggled, testing the ropes and found no give in them. The man that tied him to the chair stood back and smirked. Danny pulled harder in response.
"What are you smirking at?" Danny asked as he looked into the freckled man's face. His nose was swollen to twice its size and he had two black eyes. "You're the one sporting the panda eyes."
The man growled and turned on his heel, stomping away to the kitchen. Danny froze. The kitchen?
It took him a moment to realise the room he was in was intimately familiar. There was the study off to his right and the lanai doors that lead to the beach were closed. Directly in front of him was the wall that he had helped Steve paint after his father's murder.
Holy crap! He was being held hostage in Steve's house!
"Danny?"
Danny whirled his head to the left and was met with a bewildered Catherine Rollins. "Catherine?"
He looked her up and down and noted she was bound similar to him. He paused when he spotted a large gash on the right side of her head. Blood had dripped down to her chin and onto her shirt but the wound was no longer bleeding. He could see dark bruising starting to form around the wound.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
She smiled tiredly. "Yeah. I'm good."
Danny snorted. "You sound like Steve."
He tugged at his bonds, using the pain as a stimulus. For what, he wasn't quite sure yet. He figured it was something Steve would be doing in this situation. He gave a chuckle at the thought. Steve would already have shimmied out of his restraints, freed Catherine and taken down all the bad guys by now.
"What's so funny?" Catherine asked, her voice soft.
"Just thinking about what Rambo would do in this situation," Danny mused as he glanced around Steve's living room, looking for anything that he could use to cut the rope. "Any idea what's going on?"
All Danny knew was that he had been drugged and was now tied to a chair in his partner's living room.
Catherine coughed. "It's Marsden. She ambushed me outside the hospital."
Danny felt his stomach twist uncomfortably. Not good. Really not good. Danny twisted his body as much as his restraints would allow as he looked for his partner.
"He's not here, Danny," Catherine whispered.
Danny breathed out a breath of shameless relief. With Steve somewhere outside the four walls he and Catherine were currently contained within, their chances of rescue suddenly increased. Not that he and Catherine weren't perfectly capable of getting out of this situation themselves, but Danny was acutely aware of their limitations. Catherine was injured, probably concussed, and they were both tied up.
Steve often accused Danny of being a catastrophist and maybe he was right. Sometimes. However, even Danny's own self-sabotaging brain couldn't have conjured up this scenario. What Danny wouldn't give to see Steve's challenging smirk right now.
But that would mean Steve was trapped in here with them. Something he definitely didn't want his partner to experience ever again.
Only he knew his partner. He knew Steve would push aside his physical limitations and demand to be involved in the investigation. The thought filled Danny with a mix of hope and trepidation. Steve was probably the only man on earth that could force someone to surrender with just a glare. However, Danny knew that Steve was incredibly vulnerable right now and he wondered just how Steve would be getting them out of this because mark his words, Steve would not be sitting this one out.
Sure, the man wreaked havoc on a daily basis and on any other day, Danny would welcome the mountain of paperwork that came with it. But not today. Not when it would be at the detriment of his already compromised partner.
Danny had been so lost in his spiral of thoughts that he barely noticed Rebecca Marsden enter the room. He'd recognise her anywhere. Even after all the time he'd spent memorising her features from the surveillance footage and photographs, itit was strange to see the woman that had created a living nightmare for his partner in person.
Behind her stood the freckled man. He appeared bored behind his black eyes but Danny knew better. The unnamed man was trained and certainly armed, ready to act if Danny gave him reason to.
She didn't speak, instead pacing in manic circles that made Danny dizzy if he watched her for too long.
"Why? Why? Why?" she muttered. Danny looked over at Catherine and found a wide-eyed and confused expression that he was certain was mirrored on his own face. She stopped pacing and stared at them as though she had only just realised they were in the same room with her. "Why do you people always have to interfere?"
Danny wasn't sure if he was expected to answer and decided to keep his mouth shut. It was difficult not to rant at the deranged woman but even he knew when to keep quiet despite opinions to the contrary. Danny's eyes followed her as she resumed her pacing. It was then that he noticed all the blinds had been closed. No way for a sniper to take her and her accomplice out. 'Just great,' he thought.
"Can't you people see that he's better off without you?" she suddenly screeched.
Danny winced at the sudden high-pitched tone. She sounded like Grace in the middle of a temper tantrum.
"All you've ever done is hurt him! You just use him, over and over again. I saved him and at the first chance, he ran straight back to his family," she spat the last word like she had tasted something foul. "I would never hurt him like you did. I love him."
Danny couldn't contain himself any longer. "You think kidnapping and torture was the way to show him that? You threatened the people he cares about and you expected him to just run into your arms and profess his love for you?" Danny chuckled. "You're more delusional than we thought."
As soon as the words started pouring from his mouth, an internal dialogue started along the lines of 'don't annoy the crazy person. Whatever you do, don't antagonise the unstable person in the room that probably has a gun.'
Rebecca's eyes narrowed. "I had to show him what I offered. Safety and love."
Danny huffed; he couldn't believe the lunacy this woman was spewing. "No. You took away his choices and forced him to pretend to be someone else. You obviously don't know the real Steve McGarrett if you thought that would work."
Instead of getting angry, Danny was surprised when Marsden smiled at him. The duality of her personality was frightening. "Maybe it's you who doesn't really know him. I know everything; all his weaknesses, his scars, his pain. Only I know what's best for him and I will show him by ridding him of you!"
Danny glanced nervously at Catherine who looked at him with panic in her eyes. They both knew exactly what she was talking about and it did nothing the ease the rising sense of dread as he broke out in a cold sweat.
Thursday morning, HPD Precinct:
Life happened in moments.
Some good, some bad. Those few seconds could shape the course of your life and put you on a path towards the inevitable. Sometimes seconds was all you had to make the right choice; God forbid you made the wrong decision. It was those moments, small and fleeting, that defined who you were.
This was one such moment Steve wished he didn't have to live through.
His phone rang and his team (what was left of them) had gathered around with grim expressions. The voice on the other end was clear: come alone or they die.
Steve tried to shake the image of his partner and his…friend (girlfriend?) from his mind. He couldn't afford to be preoccupied. Not when their lives were at risk.
Because of him.
Steve's hands clenched in his lap at the thought. His last hope that at least Danny had not been caught up in this had been shattered when the second image had come through, quickly followed by the dreaded phone call.
Marsden's voice had instilled a sense of foreboding so deep within him that he couldn't breathe for a moment. He'd managed to recover only to be met with the concerned stares from Chin and Kono.
Memories had swirled around in his head as soon as he realised the true extent of the situation. There was a high likelihood that things would go south. He'd never told his team of the aftermath of hostage situations gone wrong and he never wanted them to have to trudge through the charred human remains to identify lost children and bring their family some form of closure.
Kono screeched to a halt in front of the HPD precinct and Steve shook himself from his dark thoughts. He had to get it together.
Kono turned to face him. "Are you sure about this?"
'No,' he thought. Instead, he answered, "yeah. I just need five minutes with him."
"You really think he can give you the answers you're looking for?" Kono was looking at him as though he'd gone insane. And maybe he had.
"No," he admitted. If he was honest, he just wanted to look Ortiz in the eye and ask him one question.
"We'll get them both back," Kono stated. Steve would have believed her if it weren't for the slight tremor in her voice. Regardless, he smiled in return. He was well aware of how this could turn out and tried to push the nagging feeling that everything was going to go wrong to the back of his mind.
Steve climbed out of the truck, ignoring the dull aches and pains from his wounds. He took a deep breath before walking inside the precinct. He ignored the stares of several HPD officers as he walked through to the interrogation rooms at the back of the building.
"Should you even be out of the hospital?" Duke said by way of greeting. "You look like a light breeze could knock you over."
Steve smiled at the seasoned sergeant waiting outside the corridor that led to the interviewing rooms. "The doc cleared me. I'm good to go."
Duke crossed his arms and looked at him with a sceptical expression. "Why don't I believe you?"
Steve ignored the barb. "Is he in here?"
Duke sighed and pointed behind him. "Yeah. Interrogation room one."
Steve nodded. "Thanks." Duke gave a nod of acknowledgement and turned to walk down the hallway. "Hey Duke?"
Duke turned around. "Yeah?"
"Thanks. The team told me how you helped out while I was…gone and I…uh…I appreciate what you did for us…for me."
Duke smiled softly. "It's nothing you wouldn't do for any of us."
Steve felt heat rising in his face. "Yeah," he replied awkwardly.
Duke patted him on the shoulder before leaving. Steve took a moment to gather himself before he entered the interrogation room.
Ortiz didn't appear at all surprised when Steve walked in. He was exuding an aura of calmness that Steve was definitely not feeling. He looked smug, even with the dark circles under his eyes and his hands cuffed to the table.
"McGarrett."
"Ortiz," Steve replied as he sat down in front of the man that had been involved in his kidnapping.
"I'm guessing that since you're here, you've found her?" Ortiz asked.
Steve kept his expression neutral. He didn't let it show that Ortiz's response bothered him. Something about the cautious way he'd asked the question had Steve on alert. He sounded…scared?
"No," he answered and this time he didn't miss the flash of fear that crossed Ortiz's face before it disappeared.
"Then why are you here? Your team has already asked their questions."
Steve sighed. That was a good question. "I want to know why you decided to work for her."
"I work for myself," Ortiz snapped.
Steve stared the man in front of him down. He knew this man was involved in his kidnapping and torture but was still uncertain as to why. Who would voluntarily participate in such a heinous crime?
"I had no choice." Steve found it curious when Ortiz suddenly looked away with something akin to sadness flashing in his eyes.
"There is always a choice."
Ortiz locked eyes with him. "You don't understand—"
"You're right. I don't understand," Steve replied sharply. "I don't understand why you decided to help her, even after you realised what was going on. Most importantly, I don't understand how you could let your brother, your family, get involved in this."
Ortiz opened his mouth, only for Steve to glare at him.
"No, I don't want excuses. I just want you to understand what your actions have caused." Steve took his phone out and showed him the most recent picture that Marsden had sent him of both Danny and Catherine, bound to chairs.
Steve pointed to Danny. "This man is like a brother to me. He's been through thick and thin with me, even when I didn't want him there. And this," Steve pointed to Catherine. "This is the woman I love. Marsden is threatening their lives because she didn't get what she wanted. I get the feeling you can sympathise with that."
Ortiz tilted his head to side. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is, I'm sure you can appreciate how it feels to lose someone close to you." Ortiz bowed his head and Steve knew he had struck a nerve. "I understand needing to make quick decisions under pressure but at the expense of someone you care about? That I can't condone."
He'd been shocked to hear Kono's account of Ortiz killing his own brother. Steve couldn't fathom how a human being could do that to their own family. There had to be a good reason, right? There had to be.
Steve grew silent, giving the other man some time to think it through. When it became clear the ex-military man would not be forthcoming, Steve decided asked a different question.
"Where is Gaines?"
Steve knew Marsden had to have help. There was no way one woman could take down both Danny and Catherine. There had to be at least one other person involved and Steve's money was on Gaines.
Ortiz's head shot up, his from furrowing with feigned confusion. "Who?"
"Don't pretend you don't know who I'm talking about. Brown hair, freckles, glasses. Enjoys violence."
"Look, I can't help you. I only did the job I was hired for. I don't know anything else." He sat back, smug.
"Don't tell me you have some sense of loyalty towards either of them?"
Ortiz snarled. "No!"
"Good. I would hate to think a man like you was so easily bought." Steve decided to get to the whole reason he'd stepped foot inside the room. "So why did you do it?"
Ortiz gave him a calculating look before answering. "I thought I loved her," he said softly.
"And the fact that she was clearly obsessed with other men didn't deter you?"
"Like I said, I thought I loved her. I didn't know about her obsession until after she asked me to help her with a job. By that point, it was too late and I couldn't back out."
Steve leaned back in the chair. He highly doubted that Ortiz didn't have any other options than to kill his brother and participate in Marsden's insane plan. "Well, I hope that's enough consolation for you. Enjoy the rest of your life in a prison cell."
He stood and left the room, his heart feeling heavy. As soon as Steve was out of the room, he leaned against a wall and closed his eyes.
His whole adult life had been filled with other people providing him with the means to achieve missions objectives. A single moment in time could be traced back to a single action. Cause and effect. It was that simple.
Since returning to the islands after the murder of his father, Steve had not given much thought to the impact of his actions on the people around him. His one objective had been to find his father's killer. In hunting Victor Hesse, he had started something that filled the void he'd been concealing for so long.
He'd become attached to his team, to the people he now called family. But now he had hard choices to make, decisions he couldn't delegate to someone up the chain. Someone who had the authority and means to do the difficult things.
As the leader of a taskforce, those decisions were now his to make. No matter how hard he tried, the outcomes of those choices were becoming impossible to accept.
Danny being shot on their first day working together.
Chin with a live bomb strapped to his neck.
Kono working undercover and getting shot at by her own team.
He'd made mistakes and now the people he cared most about were in danger. All because of him. Because he couldn't be strong enough to stop himself from indulging in what would be an average person's right. He'd chosen to forgo that right long ago when he signed up to fight in wars so others wouldn't have to. He was selfish to think he could have it.
Things were different in the civilian world. Lives were affected by so many things other than terrorism. Just mere circumstance was enough to destroy a person and their loved ones. Steve knew he couldn't save everyone, but he still felt the burden as though it was his own to bear.
But this? This situation was not his fault; he didn't need his friends to tell him that. Still, knowing that didn't ease the guilt threatening to crush him under its immense weight. He felt the sting of pain as the thought that Danny and Catherine were suffering because of him was brought to the surface.
Shaking the frightening image from his mind, Steve did something he hadn't done in a long time. Not since he was first sent off to the mainland by his father after his mother died. He cut off all emotions. No more attachments. Just a body that followed demands.
He was once again a man that feared nothing. There was no limit when the people he cared about were at stake. Even if it meant destroying himself in the process.
